I am a field-based geologist interested in reading Earth history from the sedimentary record. Earth-system interactions have galvanized my interests in paleoclimatology, as Earth’s climate is the nexus of the Earth system. Part of my research focuses on the late Paleozoic world of 300 million years ago. This interval archives the global mountain building that culminated in the assembly of the Pangaean supercontinent, and the associated development of global monsoonal circulation, and preserves the record of Earth’s last great “icehouse” and collapse of that icehouse. If we wish to learn about climate behavior on an Earth with large ice sheets, associated glacial-interglacial climate variations, major tectonic disruption, the effects of atmospheric dust, and biotic responses to these varied influences, the late Paleozoic offers ample opportunity.

Ironically, my interests in the Late Paleozoic have spurred allied interests in dust and loess deposits from both “near” (Quaternary) and “deep” time, and in understanding relationships between climate and rock weathering. Accordingly, I am involved in studying modern sediments from fluvial and eolian systems, as these can serve as both archives and agents of climate and climate change.

If you find these topics intriguing, you can explore in greater depth in this web site.